Machine fob making wrotjght-nails



v 4 SheetsSheet I. J. P. SHERWOOD.

' Making Wrought Nails.

No. 9,712. r Patented May 10, 1853. w

1. P. SHERWOOD.

Making Wrought Nails.

No. 9,712. Patented May 10, 1853.

4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

' 4 Sheets-Sheet 4. J. P. SHERWOOD.

Making Wrought Nails.

Patented May 10, 1853.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN P. SHERWVOOD, OF FORT EDWARD, NEW YORK.

MACHINE FOR MAKING WROUGI-IT-NAILS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 9,712, dated May 10, 1853.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN P. SHERWOOD, of Fort Edward, in the county of VVashington and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Manufacturing lVrought-Iron Nails; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of my said invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my wrought nail machine, Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same, Fig. 3 is a plan of the same with the cam drums removed, Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the head stock of the pointing apparatus, showing the crank (T) and the cam for operating the headers, Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section of the same. Fig. 6 is a similar section of the beveling rollers, Fig. 7 is a cross section of the heater and Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section of a portion of the heading carriage.

My wrought nail machine is adapted to .forming wrought nails either from nail plate presented sidewise to the dies or from nail rods presented endwise thereto.

The machine represented in the accompanying drawing is composed mainly of a set of beveling rollers, of two sets of cutting and pointing apparatus with their appropriate heaters, and of a reciprocating gripping and heading carriage which traveling to and fro between the two sets of pointing apparatus alternately grips and heads a pointed nail blank at each of its extremities and withdraws them from the pointing apparatus. These primary parts are all secured to a single bed frame A, and are actuated by a single driving shaft B, to which the power of the prime mover is imparted, and from which the several moving members of the machine are put in motion through the intervention of suitable mechanism as will hereinafter be described in are secured in a pair of frames D, D, which are rigidly connected together at their upper extremities, and at their lower extremities are made fast to the bed frame of the machine.

The barrel of the lower roller, C, has the form of a cylinder bounded at its extremit1es by two cylindrical collars, a a. Those portions, (1, a, of the body of the upper roller, which correspond with the two collars of the lower roller are turned truly cylindrical and bear upon the collars. The intermediate portion, 1), of the barrel of this upper roller is eccentric to its axis, so that as the two rollers are turned in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 6, the space between their barrels becomes gradually less until they reach a point (Z; hence if any art-icle be introduced endwise between the rollers, its extremity will be compressed and beveled down by the barrel of the upper roller converging toward that of the lower. When the rollers havebeen turned a sutficient portion of a revolution to produce this beveling their mot-ion is reversed and the article compressed is ejected from between them. In order to give the rollers a reciprocating movement the journal of the upper one is fitted with a toe E whose extremity is depressed by an arm 0, Fig. 3, which is secured to a shaft F. The latter is caused to revolve continuously by means of cog wheels, one, G, of which is secured to it, while the other is made fast to the driving shaft. As the arm strikes the toe it depresses its extremity and causes the upper roller to turn in the direction indicated by the arrow applied to it in the drawing; and when the arm in its revolution has passed the toe, the latter is restored to its first position to turn back the roller by means of a spring 6. The lower roller is driven from the upper by means of cog segments, f j, one of which is secured to the journal of each roller.

The two sets of cutting and pointing apparatus are situated at the opposite extremities of the bed frame; each set comprises two dies, 9 g, which are secured to the lower converging extremities of wedge-formed diestocks, H H. These die stocks are constructed to slide upon converging seats formed in a head block M, and are prevented from moving laterally by two guide plates I and I. The die stocks have guide pins h h, h h, secured to their opposite sides, which slide in converging guide slots, 2', i, formed in the guide plates. The lower guide pins at each side of each stock are fitted with friction rollers j, which bear against inclined traverse rails la 76 secured to the guide plate parallel with the guide slots. The upper guide pins h h at each side of the stock are extended beyond the guide plate, and a spring Z is secured to the guide plate to bear against the lower side of each pin and thus raise the stock whenever the force by which it is depressed, is removed. The one die (g) is as long as the nail blank; it acts in connection with a stationary knife 92 secured to the head block M, to sever the nail blanks from the nail plate which is fed up to them in a direction at right angles to that in which the die 9 moves through a slot J formed in the head block M. The other die, 9, is merely of suflicient length to form the point of the nail; so that a suflicient space is afforded at its inner end for a compound gage and nipper N. This tool consists of a straight bar of steel which is constructed to slide parallel with the adjacent pointing die in a socket in the head block.

- It is pressed downward in contact with the face of the opposite die, g, by means of a spring secured to the inner guide plate I, and its lower extremity 1s beveled as shown in the drawing in such manner that, when the die 9 descends, the latter bears upon the beveled extremity of this gage and nipper and forces it upward out of its way; while as this die is drawn up by its springs the gage and nipper is forced downward by its appropriate spring to its lowest position. The beveled extremity of this bar is directly opposite the opening at which the nail plate enters between the stationary knife 11. and the die 9, so that when the plate is entered it strikes the end of the bar which thus forms a gage to regulate the distance to which the nail blank is to be fed up, and consequently the breadth of the nail blank; hence the distance from the beveled ext-remity of this gage to the cutting edge of the stationary knife must be just the breadth of the blank to be cut. The lower inclined edge of this gage is at a sufficient distance from the seat upon which the adjacent die stock slides to admit a nail blank between it and the seat; hence when the nail blank has been forced down upon this seat by the opposite die, and the latter rises by the action of its appropriate springs, this gage bar passes I over the depressed nail blank and acts as a nipper to prevent it from rising from the seat when struck by the shorter pointing die. The movement of the nail blank when the opposite or longer die is acting upon it is prevented by a sliding rest M this rest is constructed to slide toward and from the center of the machine upon a seat formed in the head block M, it is guided in moving by a guide rod m that passes through a corresponding aperture in the head block, and it is pressed toward the center of the ma chine by a spring. The upper edge of this rest is notched to receive and support the nail blank which is depressed into the notch by the descent of the longer die. The object of constructing this rest to slide is that it may be in a position to support the inner end of the nail blank while the pointing dies are acting upon it and that it may yield as the gripping tongs advance upon this portion of the nail blank to seize and grip it.

The pointing dies are depressed in succes'sion to form the point of the nail by the action of a series of cams secured to a cam drum K above, whose ournals are supported by a pair of standards, L L, and which is caused to revolve by means of cog wheels, G G, one of which G, is secured to one of its journals while the other G is secured to the shaft F. The cams O, are of peculiar form, their faces, which act upon the heads of the wedge formed die stocks, consisting of two curved surfaces which form an angle with each other. The heads of the die stocks are of corresponding form, so that when the cam strikes the die stock the tendency of the cam is to force the die stock to descend in a direction oblique to the axis of the cam drum without bearing upon the inclined seat on which it slides. The cams are of different lengths so that the dies are deit. The pointing dies thus give the proper taper to the two sides of the blank upon which they act; the proper taper is given to the other twosides partly by the preliminary beveling of the nail plate, and partly by the shape of the seat in which the blank lays. Those portions of the sides of this seat which correspond with the point of the nail are beveled so that the space ineluded between them and the opposing faces of the pointing dies, when the latter are depressed to their lowest positions, is of the exact form and size of a finished nail point.

Each cutting and pointing apparatus is fitted with an appropriate heater by means of which the nail plate is kept sufliciently hot to insure the formation of a good point upon the blanks cut from it. This heater consists of two blocks of iron or other material, P P, which are supported in a box or case Q, secured to the side of the bed plate. The case inclines downward in a direction at right anglesto that in which the adjacent cutting and pointing die moves. The face of the lower iron is grooved longitudinally to admit the lower half of the tongs or nippers by means of which the nail plate is introduced into the machine. The upper iron, P, is also grooved correspondingly and has in addition ledges m at its sides to separate its face from that of the lower iron a sulficient distance to permit the nail plate to be entered freely between the two. These irons are retained in the case by the door 1, which closes its lower extremity. This door is constructed to slide in grooves and it is perforated at a point corresponding with the opening between the irons to admit the nail plate and the nippers by which it is manipulated.

The heading carriage R issituated between the two sets of cutting and pointing apparatus, and is constructed to slide to and fro between them upon suitable ways secured to the upper face of the bed frame. At the center of this carriage is a frame. .9 which embraces the shaft F, and the part of the latter which passes through the frame 8 is formed in a crank T which is fitted with cams t, which in revolving bear alternately upon the opposite faces of the frame and thus cause the carriage to move to and fro between the sets of pointing apparatus. Each extremity of this carriage is fitted with a pair of gripping tongs, S S, by means of which the butt of the nail blank on which the pointing dies have acted is siezed; and within each pair of tongs is aheading tool U by means of which the gripped nail blank is headed. One of the jaws, S, of each pair of tongs is made fast to the carriage, the other, S, is pivoted to the carriage and is moved laterally toward and from the fixed jaw by means of a lever V. The two levers V, V, are pivoted to the carriage; their shanks project laterally from it, and are connected by link bars p, p, with a frame W, to which motion in the proper direction and at the proper moment is imparted by a pin 9, that is secured to and revolves with the cog wheel G upon the crank shaft F. This pin revolves within theframe W, the inner periphery of which is of such form that the pin acts to move it only when the carriage has arrived at each extremity of its stroke. The adjacent faces of the jaws have diamond shaped grooves formed in them to admit the butt of the nail blank, and in order that the movable jaw may move truly toward and from the fixed jaw, its shank is received in a flat socket which is formed in the carriage and is covered by a cap plate.

Each heading tool consists of a straight bar, U, which is constructed to slide longitudinally within the gripping jaws. The butt of each heading tool extends toward the center of the carriage and projects into the frame within which the crank shaft revolves. This crank is fitted with a cam 00 Figs. 3 and 4 between the cams t, which by the revolution of the crank shaft is borne against the butt of the heading tool and forces it endwise against the butt of the nail blank which the jaws have seized.

In order to form wrought nails by this machine power is applied to the driving shaft B, either through the intervention of a belt or in some other suitable manner: a pair of hot irons are then introduced into each heater case and the nail plates, previously 1 heated, are presented endwise by the attendant to the beveling rollers; as the machine moves, these rollers turn and bevel the plate, thus preparing it for the formation of the points of the nails. When the rollers in their retrograde movement discharge the plate it is entered through the hole in the door of one of the heaters and is thrust upward therein. As the nail plate is thrust forward, its inner extremity meets the gage N, which limits the distance to which it can be entered, and as the cam drum K revolves, its cams depress the dies in alternate succession. The thrust of the first cam causes the die 9 to sever from the nail plate that portion which projects over the stationary knife, and to depress the slip, or nail blank, thus out until its further downward move ment is prevented by the socket or seat in the block M in which the dies work, and by the sliding rest in the notch of which the inner end of the nail blank is received; the further downward movement of the dies then presses the nail blank forcibly between its end and the opposite face of the seat; as the end of the die is the counterpart of one of the sides of the pointed extremity of a nail and as the face of the seat is the counterpart of the opposite side of a nail, the point is partially formed. In this descent of the die the gage and nipper N is forced backward to permit the passage of the nail blank, while as the cam in its rotation passes the head of the die stock the latter is raised by the action of its springs, and at the same time the gage and nipper is forced forward by its spring and is passed over the nail blank, thus preventing it from rising. The next cam in the series depresses the opposite pointing die g, which strikes the blank at right angles to the first one; and as the cam drum continues to revolve the remaining cams in rotation act alternately upon the two die stocks, which being depressed further by the increased length of each successive cam, quickly forms the point of the blank. When the last cam in the series has ceased to act the butt of the nail blank is gripped firmly by the appropriate gripping tongs, which meanwhile has been advanced upon it by the rotation of the crank shaft in the frame of the carriage, and has shoved the sliding rest outward before it. This gripping is effected by the movement of the movable jaw of the gripping tongs toward the fixed one by the lever V, which is moved at the proper moment by the pin 9 acting upon the interior periphery of the frame W. As soon as the gripping is efiected the heading tool is moved forward by its appropriate cam, and striking the butt of the blank, which projects a short distance within the gripping jaws, compresses it to form the head. As the crank shaft continues to revolve the heading cam passes the butt of the header and the latter is drawn backward by a suitable spring; after which the crank shaft, in turning onward, moves the carriage toward the opposite end of the machine to grip and head the blank which meanwhile has been out and pointed by the other cutting and pointing apparatus. In this movement of the carriage the headed nail is drawn from beneath the pointing dies to make room for a new nail blank; and as the gripping tongs at theopposite end of the carriage is closed by the movement of the frame, the one containing the finished nail is opened, by the same movement, to drop it from the machine. Nail plates are thus cut alternately at the opposite extremities of the machine, and the blanks are point-ed, headed, and delivered in a finished state. As fast as the nail plates are exhausted freshly heated ones are introduced, and when the heating irons have grown too cold to maintain the proper temperature necessary to insure the formation of a good point upon the nail blank, they are removed and hot ones are inserted in their places.

I have thus described my machine as fitted to the manufacture of wrought nails from nail plate. The machine is also applicable to the manufacture of wrought nails from nail rods; when it is to be used for this purpose, a heater case with suitable irons is attached endwise to I each extremity of the frame of .the machine in such manner that the nail rod can be shoved endwise through the heater within the range of the pointing die 9 which also acts to cut the nail; a stationary knife is also applied to act in con nection with the outer side or edge of this die to effect the severing of the nail blank from the nail rod.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination of a revolving cam drum with converging die stocks moving in directions oblique to the axis on which the cam drum revolves the cams being constructed as herein set forth with two curved faces meeting at an angle the whole arrangement being such that dies moving at right angles to each other are operated by a single drum without the intervention of rods or levers.

2. I also claim the compound gage and nipper (N) which acts as a gage to regulate the breadth of the nail blank and also as a nipper to hold it firmly during the action of the pointing die; the same operating as herein described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

JOHN P. SHERWOOD.

Witnesses:

Unrus G. PARIs, N. B. MILLIMAN. 

